Lead pencil



B. c'. BECKER LEAD PENCIL Feb. 4. E930.

" Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 19. 1922 Feb. 4l, 1930.

a. c. BECKER' LEAD' PENcIL mea July'- 19.-v 1922 2 Sheets-Shet 2 j'Patented Feb. 4, 1.9.30 .A

' 'fummo/ STATES PATENT OFFICE BERNARD c. Bncxnn, or You, ienNNsYLVANIA,AssIGNOn 'ro THE YODER PENOIL COMPANY, or' cLEvELAND, OHIO, ACORPORATION on omo i referto similar views. Y Fig. 1, represents alongitudinal sectional 'View of a pencil, rnd represents one form of v.my invention. f

LEAD rENcIL i I Application med July 19,

'rhis'invenaon rentes to had pencils, the

object thereof being to providel a pencil in which the leads willautomatically feed-from a lead carrying ymagazine to the writing'end ofthe pencil through the mere customary aci- .tion of writing.

as the end thereof wears away, through the action of writing. AInconjunction with a tube of, this character, my object is .to providemeans through'which leads of short` lengths will automatically feedfroma magazine into said tube and there be automatically locked againstreverse movement.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and inwhich similarv numerals parts throughout 'the .several Fig. 2, is anenlarged sectional View of-Fig.

7 `1 taken on line 2-2.

i 12-12 of Fig. 3, is an enlarged sectional ,view of Fig. l'taken online 3-3. Fig. 4 is a' detail drawing of the expandible spring ring4 ofFig. 1.

Fig.5, is an enlarged sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on line 5 5. v

Fig. 6, is an enlarged View of the end of tube 6 of Fig. 1, thisconstruction is also applicable to the tubes 6 of Figs. 8, 9 and l10.

Fig. 7, isa detail drawing of the contractile spring ring 7 of Figs. 1and 6.*

- Figs. 8, 9 and 10, represent modified .forms vof my invention. v

Fig..1 1,` is a sectional view taken on line 11-11 ofFigs.

Fig. 12,Fis a sectionalview taken on line i0. 9. Fig. 13, ise asectional view7 taken' on -line .13-'13 of Figglo.

Fig. 14, is a sectional view taken on line 14-14 f'Fig. 1o.A

In 'the following description of this invention it should be vunderstoodthat wherever 1922. 'l Serial No. 576,011.

any part is described as being lixed to another, the same is meant to besoldered thereto or in other words rigidly fixed thereto.

' With referencev to Fig. 1, 8 is a tubular casing forming a handle forthe'pencil. 6'is a leadl carrying tube, the upper end of which isenlarged as shown at 9 to form a magazine forl carrying a stock ofleads.`- The tubular point 10 is screwedinto the handle 8 as shown. l

rlhe magazine is closed v11 and eraser 12.

The tube 6 including the magazine 9 is free to slide lengthwise in thehandle 8, the downward movement being limited by the collar 14.l Fixedinside the handle 8 is a sleeve 15 which also limits the downwardmovement of tube 6, through the collar 16. A spring 42 normally holdsthe tube 6 in the downward position, 'however it is yielding enough topermit inward movement of the tube 6 when the end 27 thereof issubjected to less than northrough the screw cap mal writing pressure.The rin 73 is fixed l to the casing 8, and forms a bac ing for thespring 42. -1

The tube 6 is provided with three longitudinal slots 17, adapted toreceive the balls 18 and permit contact thereof with the lead 19.Surrounding the three balls 18 is a conical casing20. A washer 21 andspring 22 are provided to normally hold the balls 18 up against theconical surface and hence in Contact with the lead 19 as shown. It isapparent that a Oneway clutch A is 'formed by these parts which isadapted to prevent rearward movement of the lead 19 but freely permitforward movement thereof.' It is also apparent that 1 'lengthwise'movement of .the tube 6 is not hindered by any parts of this clutch.

During the action of writing the end 27 of the tube 6 normally contactswith, and slides on and over the surface being written upon, and 'as theend of section C of the lead 19 wears away the tube 6 moves inward. inthe direction indicated by arrow 23. The lead however cannot move inwardon account of the backing formed bythe clutch A. It is thereforeapparent that the writing end of the lead 19 is generally substantiallyflush with the end 27 of the tube 6. If for any reason the end of thelead is short of being flush then the tube will readily recede duringthe action of writing and the lead will promptly contact with thewriting surface.

If for any reason the end of the lead 19 prof trudes an appreciableextent beyond the end 27 of the tube 6, then of course the same willsnap off as soon as writing is attempted. yAt any rate this will occurwith leads of the diameter which I prefer to use.

Promptly after beginning to write with this pencil, the writing end ofthe lead 19Y However means must be provided for carrying the lead 19forward in unison with forward movement of the tube 6 and this isaccomplished by a one-way clutch E.

The clutch E consists of three disks 28, each of which protrude througha slot 29 formed in the wall of the tube 6 as most clearlyshown Fig. 2,they are also arranged to grip the lead through a wedging action whichoccurs when they are forced into the conical bore 34, and

- consequently they grip thev lead section- F and carry it'forward withforward movement of the tube 6. As a means for forcing the disks 28 intosaid conical bore while'said tube is moving forward, a sleeve 31 isprovided and arranged to slide within the tubular casing 8,

and forming a part thereof are three prongs 35 which extend upwardbetween and avoiding the various elements of clutch G as most clearlyshown in Fig. 3. These prongs are of sufficient length so that the endsthereof will contact with the disks 28, then for the purpose of settingup a slight resistance tol lengthwise movement of the sleeve 31 withrespect to the tubular casing 8, an expandible spring ring 4 is carriedthereby in a groove 33, and consequently when the tube 6 moves forward'the sleeve 31 drags behind, through the resistance to movement causedby ring 4, until the ends of the prongs 35 of the sleeve come in contactwith the disks 28, thereby forcing the disks 28 into the conical bore 34which in turn forces them against the lead andvaccordingly carries thelead forward in unison with the tube movement. When the tube moves inthe opposite direction, for instance.

when the tube 6 recedes' relative to the lead while writing isprogressing, the sleeve 31 drags behind until it comes in contact withthe collar 36; and then the disks 28 are released and the spring ring 30expands and,

moves them out of contact with the lead. As a result thereof leads fromthe stock 37 gravitate into the tube 6 between the disks Q8,nevertheless a slight forward movement of the tube 6 again causes thedisks 28 to grip the lead particularly section F and accordingly forcesthe preceding section C Vforward through the clutch A in unison withforward movement of the tube 6. It is obvious from the above descriptionthat the leads 37 will normally gravitate one after the other into thetube 6 and there will be taken up by the clutches E and A, andaccordingly in response to reciprocating' movement of the tube 6, aseffected through the mere customary action of writing and in connectionwith the automatic reaction ofthe spring 42, they will be automaticallycarried forward to the writing end of the pencil as new or additionallead is needed for writing.

As a modification of this feeding device the spring 42 may be dispensedwith, and then in operating the pencil it would merely be necessary tooccasionally press on the head end B of the pencil, thus moving the tube6 forward to its normal position; no other effort or manipulation wouldbe necessary to maintainl a writing point until the store ofl leads 37is depleted. However in this arrangement if the tube 6 has been recentlymoved in the direction indicated by arrow 23 and if it is not promptlymoved forward then the lead sections D and F are free to gravitatelengthwise in the tube, on account of the clutch E being released, andif the pencil is turned upside down these leads will fall back into themagazine. To avoid this l provide a third clutch G. l l

The clutch G consists of an expandible casing 38 adapted to retain itsposition through frictional contact with the casing 8. Disks 39 areprovided to grip the lead section F through the normall action ofcontractile spring ring 40. The disks 39 are prevented trom movinglengthwise in the pencil through f coming in contact with the bent overends 41 of the casing 38 and are rigidly fixed to the contractile springring 40 so that' no turning 'movement relative thereto can occur. slots70 formed in the wall of the tube 6, and through which the disks 39protrude so as to contact with the lead, `are of such length' as may benecessary to permit rsuflicient reciprocatory movement of the tube 6 tofeed the leads, and accordingly not interfere with the gripping actionof saidvdisks. This clutch Gr has just sufficient gripping action toprevent the lead sections D and F from falling back into the magazine 9when the clutch E is released and the pencil is turned upside down.

A further modification would be had in connection with the-eliminationof the spring 42, by making the internal mechanism of the pencil, thatwhich is arranged to slide lengthwise relative to the casing 8, ofsufficient weight so that it will normally gravitate in the forwarddirection. The pencil then functions in the sa'me manner as when thespring The :z

iso

42 is employed, except that there is no resistance equivalent tothereaction of the spring 42 to overcome while writing.' A self feedingpencil embodying this feature is fully dis closed in my copendingapplication on lead pencil, 'Serial No. 582,800, filed August 18, 1922.Attention is also directed to mycopending application on lead pencil,Serial No. 527,169, filed January 5, 1922, which also discloses a pencilin which the lead automatically feeds outward through the mere customaryaction of writing. However in neither of these applications isa magazinedisclosed in which a number of leads may bel promiscuously placed, withmeans for feeding these leads automatically from the magazine to thewriting end of the pencil. The modified forms of pencils represented inFigs. 8, 9 and 10, are also modifications of the broad idea of the Npencil forming the subject matter of said pending applications; howeverthey are here -disclosed to show several modifications of or divisionalapplications isexpressly re-v served. v

With reference to Figs. 8 and 11, the tube 6" is free to slidelengthwise in the casing 8al and carries the magazine 9a which is fixedthereto..

A collar 43 is fixed to the inside of casing 8"L fand supports a spring42 which normally moves the tube 6"'in the forward direction `throughthe iange 44. The collar 43 serves as a stop to limit forward tube 6 andmagazine 9a.

Fixed to the tube 6" is a contractile saw toothed shell 49 adapted togrip the lead 19 between the teeth thereof and the tube; this is toinsure that the lead will move forward movement. of the.

with forward movement of the tube., This device forms a substantialequivalent to clutch E, Fig. 1. The length of the teeth 45, 46, 47, 48,etc., which form a part of shell 49, are

made successively shorter and several of the l.

llast teeth mentioned should be sutliciently short so that the lead willgravitate thereunder withoutit beingnecessary for the shell 49 ltoyield, however those further forward should be of sufficient length soas togrip engagement, the sharp point thereof cuts into the surface ofthe lead and holds it against moving backward while the tube 6a andshell 49 move backward, or in other words, while the 'tube and shellrecede during the action vvof. writing, and consequently gives the teethof shell 49 an opportunity to grip the lead at a point well up a ong.the side thereof and accordingly carry the lead forward with the- -nextVforward movement of the tube 6". As

theshell 49 carries the lead forward, through the action of spring 42 incarrying the tube 6 forward, the lead engages between the teeth of thecontractile saw toothed shell 51 which is held stationary relative tothe casing 8" through being fixed thereto at 69, and accordshoe lieswithin the shell 51 and is backed up thereby, it protrudes through a'suitable slot in the shell 49, and is held against lengthwise movementby a lug as shown protruding through a suitable hole in thev rear wallof shell 51.

With reference to Figs. 9 and 12; in this representation Ihave not shownthe magazine, but from the disclosure as presented in the other figuresit is apparent how the same may be connected to the upper end of tube 6a1n a practical manner.

The tube 6a is free to slide lengthwise in the casing 8" and tubularpoint 10". Fixed to the casing 8" is a threaded extension 53 whichcarries the tubular point 10". A disk 15 is clamped between theextension 53 and the shoulder 54. A collar 16" limits the forwardAmovement of the tube 6a against the .action of spring 42. The conicalshell 20" is adapted to actupon the disks 18" against the action ofspring 22 and cause the same to grip the lead 19, thereby preventinginward movement of the lead. AThe washer 21" is provided with slots .55to guide the disks 18". In this construction the slots 17 are adapted toallow the corners 5 of the tube 6a to contact with the disks 18" asshown, when the collar 16" is against the disk 15". It will be observedthat when in this condition thedisks 18" will not gri the lead, but aslight inward movement of t e tube 6 will allow the disks 18" to contactwith the lead and grip the same under the action'of spring 22. v

In this form of construction the clutch is normally released to permitfree entrance of the lead between the gripping disks 18", but as soon aswriting is attempted, by bringing the end 27 of the tube in contact withthe writing surface, inward movement of the tube occurs when the disksimmediately grip the lead. As writing is progressing the tube 6a recedeson the lead as heretofore described with respect to Fig. 1. The clutchin this arrangement is in eect a combination of clutches A and E of Fig.1.

With reference to Figs. 10, 13 and 14; here the tube 6c is divided toprovide space for the clutch A; 6 indicating the lower portion,

and 6 the upper portion. The two tube portions are connected through therods 56 which are fixed thereto. `The tube portion 6 is provided with acollar 16" which limits the forward movement of tube 6c against theaction of spring 42. The shell 57 is fixed to the casing 8 and forms thebottom of magazine 9c and extends downward to form a guide for the tubeportion 6". In this case it will be noted that the magazine is notcarried by the tube 6c but is formed by casing 8c in conjunction withthe shell 57, and is therefore not slidable.

Clutch A consists of, a shell 58 fixed to the casing 8c, a sleeve 59free to slide therein,

5 and a spiral spring 60 which normally grips the lead 19, the lower endthereof being fixed to the shell 58 at 26. As the lead 19 is forcedforward through the spring 60, said spring is compressedr lengthwisesufficient to `enlarge the inside diameter thereof to permit entrance ofthe lead. After the lead has entered the spring 60, any effort to moveit inthe reverse direction will cause this spring to grip they lead morefirmly and prevent movement thereof, in accordance with the tendency ofthe spring to elongate and consequently reduce its internal diametermore and more as said efforts are increased.

For forcing the lead 19 through the clutch A with forward movement ofthe tube 6c, I provide a clutch E, also consisting of a spiral spring 62which normally grips the lead 19; the lower end of this spring isfixed-to the tube 6 at 63. A sleeve 64 is carried in the tube v6' andadapted to slide lengthwise, the

.movement thereof being limited by the shoulder '65 in one directionandby the shell 66 in the opposite direction. Friction blocks 72 arefitted into slots in the shell 57 as shown and are normally held againstthe surface of the sleeve 64 through the action of contractile springring 67. Slots 68 in the wall of tube 6 are sufficiently long to avoidinterference tolengthwise movement of the tube.

The action of this clutch is as follows As the tube 6c moves in thedirection indicated by the arrow 23, and recedes on the lead 19, thesleeve 64, being held stationary through the action of friction blocks72 and'spring ring 67, will cause the spring 62 to compress until theshoulder contacts with said sleeve then it will mofve in unison with thetube movement while sliding between the friction blocks 72, andaccordingly the internal diameter of the spring 62 is enlarged and willpermit free entrance therein of the lead 19 as it gravitates ifrom themagazine 9. Forward movement of the tube 6c will return the sleeve 64 tothe original position shown in the drawing, whi le the spring' 62 freelyelongates, the internal diameter thereof again contracts and accord` ingly grips the lead 19 and carries it forward with forward movement ofthe tube 6. This action occurs very promptly at the beginning of forwardmovement of the tube 6, and will in a position through which the leadcould gravitate back into the magazine while writing is progressing,nevertheless a clutch G may be desirable in some cases for holding thelead section F steady while clutch E is functioning and in releasedcondition. A

It should be observed that through 'the means provided, the leads willfeed from .the magazine through gravitation into the lead carrying tubeduring the customary actions of writing; or in other words, it is notnecessary to remove a push rod or perform some similar action to permitthe lead to pass into the `lead carrying tube. It is merely necessary tofill the magazine with leads in a promiscuous manner'and no specialattention or operation 'is required for causing them to engage with thefeeding mechanis To prevent the lead sections from inadvertently fallingout of the end 27 of the tube 6, I provide a lead gripping device,comprising a contractile spring ring 7 which normal- -ly grips the lead,this spring is carried in a groove formed by the cap 24 in conjunctionwith the end of tube 6, t ie cap being firmly held to the tube throughthe turned over edge' 25. It is obvious of course that the end 27 of thecap 24 should be round and very smooth so that it will not offer anyannoying resistance to movement when sliding on and over the surfacebeing Written upon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure.by United States Letters Patent is as follows: l

1. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carryw ing a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude fromthe writing end of said casing, and 4also arrangedyto recede relative tothe lead when under the infiuence of normal rwriting pressure, and a'clutch for the lead in operable connection with said tube to opensufhciently to permit said lead, to gravitate therein and close tofirmly grip the same in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube.v

2. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a tube capableofy carrying a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude from the,writing end of said casing, and also arranged to recede relative to theleadwhen under the influence of normal writing pressure, a clutchfor'said lead in operable connection with sa-id tube to close and firmlygrip the same in respense tol forward movement of the tube, and

clutch open, and closingmeans for said clutch y operable in response toreciprocatory movement of said tube.

4. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a tube capable ofcarrying a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude from the writingend of said casing, and also arranged to recede relative to the leadwhen under the influence of normal writing pressure, slots through thewall of said tube, clutch jaws protruding through said slots and inoperable connection with said tube to release while said tube reced'es,and resilient means normally holding said jaws open.

5. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a tube capableofrcarryino a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude from thewriting end of said casing, and also arranged to recede relative to thelead when under the influence of normal writing pressure, clutch jawsfor the leadrin operable connection with said tube to release while saidtube recedes, resilient means normally holding said jaws open, andclosing means for lsaid jaws.

6. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead, a clutch in operable connection with saidtube to slide therewith, resilient means normally holding said clutchopen, and a sleeve slidable lengthwise with said tube and in operableconnection withsaid casing tolag behind with respect to the tubemovement and accordingly close said clutch. l

7. In a lead encil, the combination with a casing, of a sli able tubecapable of carrying a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude fromthe writing end of said casing, and also arranged to recede relative ,tothe lead when under the influence of normal writing pressure, a clutchin operable connection with said tube to open and `close in response toreciprocatory movement of the tube and slide in unison therewith andfrictional means holding said lead in said clutch.

l 8. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a shdable tubecapable of carrying a lead, said tube being arranged to vprotrude fromthe writing end of said casing,

. and also arranged to recede relative to'the lead when under theinfluence of normal writing pressure, a ma azine thebottom of which isin open commumcation with the end of said tube, and a clutch in operableconnection with said tube to open and close in response to reciprocatorymovement of the tube and slide in unison therewith.

9. In a lead encil, the eombination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead, a magazine the bottom of which is in opencommunication with the end of said tube,.a clutch in operable connectionwith said tube to open and close in response to reciprocatory movementof the tube and slide in unison therewith, and frictional means holdingsaid lead in said clutch.

4 10. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidabletube capable of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end ofsaid casing, a clutch for the lead in operable connection with said tubeto open and close in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube, anda spring normally holding said tube in the forward position.

11. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end of saidcasing, said tube being arranged to .recede relative to said lead whenunder the `ing a lead and protruding from the writing end of saidcasing, a clutch in operable connection with said tube to slidetherewith, resilient means normally holding said clutch open, a sleeveslidable lengthwise with said tube and in operable connection with said4casing to lag behind with respect to the tube movement and accordinglyclose said clutch, and a spring normally holding said tube in theforward position.

13. In a lead a casing,of a slidable tube capableof carrying a lead andprotruding from the writing end of said casing, a clutch in operableconnection with said tube toopen and close in response to reciprocatorymovement of the tube and slide in unison therewith, a frictional meansholding saidlead in said clutch, and a spring normally holding said tubein the forward position.

' 14. In a lead pencil, the combination-with a casing, of a slidabletube capable4 of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end ofsaid casing, said tube being arranged to recede relative to said leadwhen under the in- -uence of normal writin pressure, a magazine thebottom of which 1s in open communication with the 4 end of said tube, aclutch in operable connection with said tube to open in response toreceding movement of the tube and slide in unison therewith, and aspring normally closing said clutch.

15. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and protrudingfrom said casing, sald tubebeing arranged to recede relative to said lead when under the influenceof normal writin'g pressure, of a magazine the bottom encil, thecombination withof which is in open communication with the upper end of'said tube, and a one-way clutch for the lead, said clutch being mountedrigid relative to said casing at a point between said magazine and thewriting end of said tube.

16. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead, said tube being arranged to protrude fromthe writing end of said casing and recede relative to the lead whenunder the influence of normal Writing pressure, a one-way clutch for thelead, and a clutch in operable connection withsaid tube to open andclose in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube and slide inunison therewith.

17. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end of saidcasing, a magazine the bottom of which is in open communication with theend of said tube, aclutch in operable connection with said tube to openand close in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube and slide inunison therewith, and a one-way clutch for the lead. Y

18. In a lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end of saidcasing, a magazine the bottom of which is in open communication with theend of said tube, a clutch in operable connection with said tube to openand close in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube and slide inunison therewith, a one-way clutch for the lead, and a frictional meansholding said lead in said self-opening clutch.

19. In a lead pencil, the combination with ay `casing, of a slidabletube capable of` carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end ofsaid casing, a one-way clutch for the lead, a clutch in operableconnection with said tube to open and close in response to reciprocatorymovement of the tube and slide in unison therewith, and a springnormally holding said tube in the forward position.

20. In a lead pencil, thecombination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of 'carry-4 ing a lead and protruding from the writing end ofsaid casing, a magazine the bottom of which is in open communicationwith the end of said tube, a clutch in operable connection with saidtube to open and close in response to reciprocatory movement of the tubeand slide in unison therewith, a one-way clutch for the lead, andaspring normally holding said tube in the forward position.

21. In a lead encil, the combination with a casing, of a sli able tubecapable of carrying a lead and protruding from the writing end of saidcasing, a magazine the bottom of which is in open communication with theend of said tube, a clutch in operable connection with said 'tube toopen and close in response to reciprocatory movement of the tube andslide in unison therewith, a one-way clutch fdr the said self-openingclutch, and a spring normally holdingsaid tube in the forward position.

22. In a lead pencil, thecombination with a casing, of a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and arranged to recede relative to said leadwhen under the influence of normal writing pressure, means for movingsaidtube forward, and a clutch for the lead in o erable connection withsaid tube to` open su ciently to permit said lead to gravitate thereinand close to firmly grip the same in response to reciprocatory movementof the tube.

23. Ina lead pencil, the combination with a casing, of a tube capable ofcarrying a lead and arranged to recede relative to said lead when underthe influence of normal writing pressure, a clutch for said lead, andresilient means tending to hold said clutch open and arranged to reactagainst movement vof said tube.'

24. In a lead pencil, the combination of a casing, a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and arranged to recede relative to-said leadwhen under the influence of normal writ'- ing pressure, a clutch for thelead, resilient means tending to hold said clutch open, and resilientmeans normally closing said clutch and arranged to react againstmovement of said tube. y

25. In a lead pencil, the combination of a casing, a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and arranged to recede relative to said leadwhen under the influence of normal writing pressure, a magazine thebottom of which is in open communication with the end of said tube,aself-opening clutch for the lead, said clutch being self opening inthat it releases its gripping action during receding movement of saidtube, and a spring normally closing said clutch.

26. In a lead pencil, the combination of a casing, a slidable tubecapable of carrying a lead and arranged to recede relative to said leadwhen under the influence of normal writing pressure, a self-openingclutch for the lead, said clutch being self opening in that it releasesits gripping action during receding movement of said tube, and means forholding said lead against gravitation'when said clutch is open.

27. In a lead pencil, the combination of a casing, a tube capable ofcarrying a lead and vbeing arrangedto effect a closing action in saidclutch in response to forward movement of' said tube.' l

28. In a lead pencil, the combination of a lead carrying magazine, meansoperable by the ordinary movements of the encil as writing'progressesfor feeding the ead` outwardly, and a clutching device governed bytheobject being Written upon to permit the lead to gravitatefrom saidmagazine to said feeding 2f). In a lead pencil. the combination of amagazine in which a plurality of leads can be promiscuously placed,means operable by the ordinary movements of the pencil .asWritingprogresses for feeding said leads outwardly,

and a guide device arranged to maintain open con'nnunication betweensaid magazine and said feeding means and conduct said leads from saidmagazine and into said feeding means while writing progresses.

30. In 'a lead pencil, the combination of a tube vcapable of carrying alead, a lead carrying magazine, means operable by the ordinary movementsof the pencil as Writing progresses for feeding the lead outwardly, anda one- Way clutchv arranged to conduct the lead from said magazine andinto said feeding means.

31. In a lead pencil,'the combination of a lead carrying magazine, andmeans operable y by the ordinary movements of the pencil as Writingprogresses Afor feeding the lead outwardly, said means comprising aone-way clutch arranged to conduct the lead from said magazine to saidfeeding means, and a oneway clutch arranged to react against inward.movement of the lead Whenisaid lead is under the influence of normalwriting pressure.

In a lead pencil, the combination of a casing. va tube capable ofcarrying a lead, a

magazine for the leads, and means operable b v the Ordinar)Y movements0f the pencil as writing progresses for feeding said leads from saidmagazine to tbe object being Written upon.

33. In a lead pencil. the combination of .lo a lead carrying magazine. afeeding device capable of propelling tbe leads from said magazine to theobject being written upon, and controlling means forl said feedingdevice, said controlling means being arranged to rcspond to thecustomary action of Writing and effect a propelling action -in saidfeeding device.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

.m BERNARD C. BECKER.

